Project: Ka-50 based cockpit
For: Donkey
Features: Multiple boards
Board: 4x Arduino Leonardo ATmega32u4
Interface: HID
Development
This project incorporates multiple Control Panels built with different techniques. Donkey has done an impressive job building his own cockpit following the style of the Ka-50 whilst maintaining a flexible layout.
The Control Panels have been designed by him (“Das Panel“, first mock-up of his most complex Panel and based on the firmware of my Auxiliary Panel, is simply brilliant 😀 ) and include:
- PRTz Datalink panel;
- ABRIS Controls panel;
- “Das Panel“: general panel with R-800 and R828 radios controls, AP channels;
- Weapons panel.
The panels are interfaced via HID to retain the maximum flexibility between modules.
Speaking of flexibility, by adding a couple lines of code we had this switch trigger an immediate ejection by sending the appropriate command three time in quick sequence. Neat.
Some of the Panels use a button matrix. More complex panels use latched switches and a series of resistors to control multiple buttons by means of a single Analog pin.
The base firmware for the button matrix is the same I used for my Radio Box and is available in the Donwload area.
Gallery
Update 05/07/2019
Added an Autopilots management Panel based on Arduino HID plus DCS-BIOS and also controlling LEDs displaying the status of the APs.
This update is very interesting and it deserves a dedicated article.
